Effect of rTMS of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex on Language Production in Healthy Participants

Language Clinical Trial

Official title:

Role of Executive Function in Language: an Experimental and Clinical Approach With Application to Mother Language and Second Language

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02840396
• Other study ID #: SNF325130_156937_2
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 2016
• Est. completion date: July 2017

Study information

• Verified date: October 2019
• Source: University of Fribourg
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on language production.

Description:

Background:

Several studies investigating healthy or clinical populations have shown that (r)TMS applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has an effect on language-related processes such as verbal working memory (Osaka et al., 2007), sentence comprehension (Cotelli et al., 2011) and language switching (Holtzheimer et al., 2005, Nardone et al., 2011).

Clinical observations and neuroimaging studies seem to confirm the role of executive functions and frontal structures in language processing in monolingual and bilingual subjects (e.g. Fabbro et al., 2000, Abutalebi & Green 2007). However, only few studies investigated the effects of modulation of cognitive control-networks on lexical access.

Aim and procedure:

The study will investigate the role of the DLPFC and executive functioning in L1 and L2 language processing. The core question is whether rTMS over the DLPFC will influence lexical access and language production.

Each participant will take part in two sessions: 1. rTMS session 2. Sham rTMS session. After the application of rTMS/Sham rTMS, the participants will conduct two language tasks (translation, picture naming) and a non-verbal task, while the EEG is recorded.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 22
• Est. completion date: July 2017
• Est. primary completion date: June 2017
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 45 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• L1 French, knowledge of English as a foreign language

• 18-45 years of age

• Right-handedness

Exclusion Criteria:

• epilepsy /family history of epilepsy

• brain surgery, traumatic brain injuries

• cardiac pacemaker, metallic objects in the body

• history of neurological diseases or psychiatric disorders

• drug use (alcohol, psychoactive medication)

• developmental language disorder

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Language

Intervention

Device:
• rTMS
repetitive TMS (rTMS) can lead to temporary increases or decreases (depending on the protocol used) in excitability of the targeted area. This change in excitability has been shown to last beyond the duration of the stimulation.
• Sham rTMS
Sham rTMS (or placebo rTMS) refers to a control condition in which no physiological effect on the targeted cortical region occurs.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences	Fribourg

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Jean-Marie Annoni	University Hospital Inselspital, Berne

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

References & Publications (6)

Abutalebi J, Green D. Bilingual language production: The neurocognition of language representation and control. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 20, 242-275, 2007.

Cotelli M, Calabria M, Manenti R, Rosini S, Zanetti O, Cappa SF, Miniussi C. Improved language performance in Alzheimer disease following brain stimulation. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2011 Jul;82(7):794-7. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2009.197848. Epub 2010 Jun 23. — View Citation

Fabbro F, Skrap M, Aglioti S. Pathological switching between languages after frontal lesions in a bilingual patient. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2000 May;68(5):650-2. — View Citation

Holtzheimer P, Fawaz W, Wilson C, Avery D. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may induce language switching in bilingual patients. Brain Lang. 2005 Sep;94(3):274-7. — View Citation

Nardone R, De Blasi P, Bergmann J, Caleri F, Tezzon F, Ladurner G, Golaszewski S, Trinka E. Theta burst stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex modulates pathological language switching: A case report. Neurosci Lett. 2011 Jan 10;487(3):378-82. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.10.060. Epub 2010 Oct 29. — View Citation

Osaka N, Otsuka Y, Hirose N, Ikeda T, Mima T, Fukuyama H, Osaka M. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex disrupts verbal working memory performance in humans. Neurosci Lett. 2007 May 18;418(3):232-5. Epub 2007 Apr 8. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Language production	Picture naming task and word translation task	within 30 mins after rTMS/sham rTMS
Secondary	non-verbal executive functions task		within 30 mins after rTMS/sham rTMS